Tag Archives: Ruddy Turnstone

Dance of Light

Working with images that have sparkly water is a challenge and I don’t take nearly as many as I used to, knowing they’ll likely get deleted.

Ruddy Turnstones on Sand Bar
Ruddy Turnstones on Sand Bar

This day on our water trip to see the baby pelicans our captain commented how he always liked to see the sparkles, and how the light dance on the water appealed to him.

Ruddy Turnstones on Sand Bar
Ruddy Turnstones on Sand Bar

A pair of Ruddy Turnstones on a just exposed sandbar gave me a bit of a subject so I took a few shots.

Ruddy Turnstones on Sand Bar
Ruddy Turnstones on Sand Bar

A little further on a clump of grass growing from another sandbar caught my eye.

Grass Isle in Sparkly Water
Grass Isle in Sparkly Water

Kiawah River
June 2, 2022

Ruddy Turnstone

Their calico-cat like coloring sets these shorebirds apart from the others, but their behavior on the beach is a lot like the pipers and other “peeps.”

Ruddy Turnstones on Beach
Ruddy Turnstones on Beach

Standing around in small groups or on their own, they wait for the ocean to reveal something to eat.

Ruddy Turnstone on Beach
Ruddy Turnstone on Beach

Walking along the edge of the surf, this Ruddy Turnstone was proactively looking for a snack, racing ahead of the flowing water.

Ruddy Turnstone on Beach
Ruddy Turnstone on Beach

Botany Bay Island, August 4, 2019.

Ruddy Turnstone: Driftwood Framing

My position and timing were big factors in capturing these images of a Ruddy Turnstone exploring a barnacle covered tree.

Ruddy Turnstone on Driftwood
Ruddy Turnstone on Driftwood

The incoming tide was pretty calm, creating just a small splash behind the bird.

Ruddy Turnstone on Driftwood
Ruddy Turnstone on Driftwood

The bird was in almost constant motion, not waiting for the perfect combination of splash, his position, and my readiness.

Ruddy Turnstone on Driftwood
Ruddy Turnstone on Driftwood

Botany Bay Island, SC, August 4, 2019

Ruddy Turnstone: Mud Hunt

The receding tide uncovered a blob of mud and left a pool of water perfect for a Ruddy Turnstone to poke around in for breakfast.

Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone

The sun had just come up casting a bit of orange glow on the water.

Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone

The Turnstone feeds by probing in the mud or sand for small crustaceans. This mud was pretty dense and was not something I wanted to step in but this little fellow found it appealing.

Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone

Click on any image for a larger view.

Ruddy Turnstone Explorer

An easier to identify shore bird than some due to their pretty rusty colors and calico like pattern, the Ruddy Turnstone breed in the tundra of northern North America but non-breeding Turnstones can be found along most of the eastern and western US coastlines.

Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone

I came upon a small flock after Sunday’s  Sunrise, and this one was acting like an intrepid adventurer as the tide came in.

Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone

Covered in barnacles, there are a number of dead trees that have been knocked over by storms laying in the water here.

Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone